The present disclosure relates to password systems, and more specifically, to a method and system of obfuscating an electronic password.
Passwords may be used to authenticate a user's access to a protected resource. According to various embodiments, a password may include a sequence of symbols known to both a user requesting access to the protected resource and a system configured to authenticate the user and grant access to the protected resource. Examples of protected resources include a bank account accessed at a public automatic teller machine (ATM), the contents of a locked cellular phone, and an email account accessed on a public computer. The security of the protected resource depends on the fact that the password granting access to the protected resource resides in the sole possession of a user having a legitimate right to access the resource. When a third party not having a legitimate right to access a protected resource obtains the password, the security of the resource may have to be reestablished by invalidating the compromised password and sharing a new one between the legitimate user and the authenticating system.